So, I looked up the etymology of the word fairy, and discovered why I like to spell it 'faery'. It just looks better, don't you think? Well, it turns out the word comes from Old French, a language I studied at Uvic, which is quite fascinating. We sure stole a lot of words from the french language. Ahh, the things I have time to do when not in school.
fairy
c.1300, "enchantment, magic," from O.Fr. faerie "land of fairies, meeting of fairies, enchantment, magic," from fae "fay," from L. fata (pl.) "the Fates." In ref. to a class of supernatural beings, the word is used from 1393. The slang meaning "effeminate male homosexual" is first recorded 1895. Fairy tale "oral narrative centered on magical tests, quests, and transformations" (1749) translates Fr. Conte de feés of Madame d'Aulnois (1698, translated into Eng. 1699). Fairy ring is from 1599. Fossil sea urchins found on the Eng. downlands were called fairy loaves.
(from the website http://www.etymonline.com/index.php)
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